Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Port Elizabeth

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Port Elizabeth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,233 in Port Elizabeth.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Port Elizabeth $1,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,847 in Port Elizabeth.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Port Elizabeth $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,461 in Port Elizabeth.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Port Elizabeth $2,461

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 37% more expensive than in Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Port Elizabeth is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$10.62 R 175

76.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$42.87 R 707

50.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$6.02 R 99.3

113.95%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.12 R 35.03

87.74%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.04 R 17.24

97.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.72 R 11.93

115.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.76 R 45.50

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.06 R 50.5

50.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.14 R 18.74

26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.04 R 17.10

136.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.44 R 23.78

13.19%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.81 R 46.33

2.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$8.58 R 142

24.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.47 R 90.2

82.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$8.28 R 137

65.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.11 R 34.80

30.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.54 R 25.46

41.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.61 R 26.56

-9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.78 R 29.43

11.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.73 R 28.56

-28.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.42 R 23.46

-10.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.29 R 21.27

31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.01 R 16.70

71.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.13 R 51.6

33.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$4.82 R 79.6

20.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.25 R 20.63

67.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.82 R 30.06

52.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.09 R 17.96

-31.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$36.08 R 595

-24.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$2.12 R 35.03

-23.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.50 R 8.20

96.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$8.45 R 139

-8.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.45 R 23.86

-6.21%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$35.4K R 584.3K

-20.90%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$34.0K R 561.2K

1.52%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$216 ARS 326.9K

$123 R 2,024

75.72%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$35.08 R 579

-27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$45.22 R 746

-30.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$31.88 R 526

56.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$22.73 R 375

-24.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$10.61 R 175

-1.70%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$466 ARS 706.7K

$176 R 2,902

164.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$6,192 R 102.2K

46.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$70.6 R 1,164

73.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$38.27 R 631

154.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$110 R 1,807

6.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$96.5 R 1,593

44.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$612 R 10.1K

24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$418 R 6,891

20.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$805 R 13.3K

98.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$689 R 11.4K

71.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$750 R 12.4K

257.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$531 R 8,754

250.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,612 R 26.6K

-40.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.94

379.48%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4% 17.3% $87

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 30.8% $87

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8% 44.3% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7% 25.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 33.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4% 24.9% $18

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7% 23% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $612 in Port Elizabeth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Elizabeth pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $43.00 in Port Elizabeth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $197 per month, with Port Elizabeth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Port Elizabeth 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Port Elizabeth

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Buenos Aires vs Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Port Elizabeth differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,233 including rent). Port Elizabeth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Port Elizabeth. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $612 in Port Elizabeth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $176 in Port Elizabeth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Elizabeth but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Port Elizabeth the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Port Elizabeth are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Port Elizabeth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.